Cristina Gallach

Cristina Gallach (born 1960) is a Spanish journalist. She is the current High Commissioner for the 2030 Agenda of Spain. She also served as the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information from December 2014 to August 2017. Prior to this, Gallach was with the Council of the European Union as Head of the Public Relations Unit in the Directorate General for Information and Communication.^[1]

Early life

Cristina Gallach was born in 1960 in Spain. She obtained an undergraduate degree in Journalism from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and a master's degree in International Affairs from New York's Columbia University.

Career

Gallach worked as a journalist for the publication El Periódico, and the news agencies Avui and TVE Barcelona.

Gallach has extensive experience in the field of communications. She has held several high-level positions and has worked as an aide to Javier Solana during his tenures as spokesperson for the Spanish Government, Secretary General of the European Union and thereafter as Secretary General of both the European Union and Western European Union.^[2]

Ms. Gallach, Wonder Woman actresses Gal Gadot and Lynda Carter, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, and DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson appeared at the United Nations on October 21, 2016, the 75th anniversary of the first appearance of Wonder Woman, to mark the character's designation by the United Nations as its "Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls".^[3][4] The gesture was intended to raise awareness of UN Sustainable Development Goal No. 5, which seeks to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by 2030.^[3][4][5] The decision was met with protests from UN staff members who stated in their petition to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that the character is "not culturally encompassing or sensitive", and served to objectify women. As a result, the character was stripped of the designation, and the project ended December 16.^[5]

There was controversy over Ms. Gallach's United Nations post subsequent to her ban of Inner City Press from UN Reporting circles after they reported on alleged nepotism in UN circles. She left her UN post in the wake of those controversies.^[6]

In July 2018, she was appointed High Commissioner for the 2030 Agenda of Spain, a new office created this year to coordinate the actions of the Government to accomplish with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.^[7]

References

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